Commitments

AmeriCorps Term of Service

Full-time Iowa Reading Corps AmeriCorps members must commit to 11 months of service (September 6, 2016 – July 31, 2017) and must complete 1,720 service hours (about 40 hours/week) during this time frame. It is critical for full-time members to commit to the full 11 months of service to better ensure that students receive the literacy tutoring that they need to succeed. Half-time AmeriCorps members must commit to 9 months of service (September 6, 2016 - May 31, 2017) and complete a minimum of 900 hours.

Scheduling

Because members tutor students during normal school hours, your schedule must be consistent throughout the year. Occasional weekend or evening work may be required for trainings, meetings, and/or community service activities. In addition, members might be asked to participate in school-sponsored activities that take place on evenings or weekends. During the summer months, full-time members partner with local United Ways and their school district to participate in volunteer recruitment and community engagement projects. These projects include providing literacy activities at summer feeding programs, assisting with summer tutoring programs, and/or coordinating children's summer literacy programs at local libraries.

Training

If you are accepted as an Iowa Reading Corps AmeriCorps member, you will be required to attend trainings. All Iowa Reading Corps members are required to attend the Reading Corps Training Institute that will be held September 6-9, 2016 in Des Moines and Bettendorf. The Training Institute will provide intensive training in the "suite" of Reading Corps interventions and will provide an "AmeriCorps 101" orientation. Some sites also require additional training (such as the free, online mandatory reporting training) for their members.

Additional required and voluntary trainings will be offered throughout your term of service. AmeriCorps-specific trainings will cover topics such as Volunteer Management, Civic Engagement, and Disaster Response and Preparedness. Supplementary Reading Corps-specific trainings offered throughout members' term of service include:

Great Leaps Intervention: October 2016 in Des Moines and Bettendorf (all day)